


Weightless

by PurpleArrowzandLeather



Category: Destiny (Video Games)
Genre: Gen, Hunters are the best, Hurt, Protective Shin Malphur, don't corner a hunter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-02
Updated: 2020-01-02
Packaged: 2021-02-27 15:33:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,242
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22089439
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PurpleArrowzandLeather/pseuds/PurpleArrowzandLeather
Summary: Shin Malphur, The Man with the Golden Gun, is out on his own yet again when the Traveler is attacked by the Red Legion. When faced with the loss of his Light, he finds himself in quite the predicament.
Kudos: 16





	Weightless

Shin is in the middle of a jump when the Light leaves him. His gut drops and he reaches out for the ledge above him. While Shin manages to hook one arm over the edge, a weakness floods through him that causes his grip to falter. His Ghost drops inches away from his fingertips, its flashlight going dark and a small, broken clicking noise leaving it. Shin tries to pull himself up but falls, crashing against sharp rocks jutting out of the surface of the mountainside. He struggles to right himself, his fingers clawing for anything they can reach. 

The ground is approaching rapidly. Shin lands hard on his side, two sickening pops and a crack following the impact. He gasps for breath he can’t catch, tears springing into his eyes while he lays as still as possible. 

He finally manages to get some air. The breath itself is weak and trembling, a whimper following his exhale that he can’t stop. Shin doesn’t dare open his eyes to see what the damages are, something telling him he won’t like the result. He lies there in complete agony, afraid to move for fear that he won’t be able to. Shin wonders about his Ghost. He prays his little Light is all right. 

Grounded, he has nothing to do but think about what could have happened. Maybe something shot his Ghost, but he sincerely doubts it. He built the shielding around Archer himself. The only other plausible explanation is that something happened to the Traveler. 

Shin sucks in another breath with a whine, the pain in his whole frame fading enough for him to know it’s focused more in his side and arm. His entire body shakes without his permission, and for the first time in a long time, he’s afraid. He’s never gotten himself into a situation he couldn’t get out of without a little tricky figuring. He’s not the most renowned Hunter in the entire Guardian world for nothing, even if he’d rather be left alone. 

That’s most of the reason he stays hidden when other Guardians are around. 

The downed Hunter suffers through the next hour on that same spot. His body is throbbing, begging for relief he can’t give. The shock is gone, but he still doesn’t think he can bring himself to move. There’s also an emptiness in his chest he can’t get rid of, the absence of the Light paradoxically like a weight. It figures somehow. 

He doesn’t know how long he stays there, but it’s long enough for someone to come across him. 

“We’ve got another one!” 

Another one? 

A second voice joins the first. “Is he still alive?” 

Shin remains silent, keeping his eyes closed. He doesn’t know what’s going on or what these people are going to do to him. If what happened to him happened to all the Guardians, they might be searching for them to put a bullet in their heads. 

The first one nears enough for Shin to feel the vibrations of his feet. He crouches next to Shin, two fingers pressing against his throat. “He’s alive. Looks like he fell from up there.” 

“Where’s his Ghost?” 

“No idea.” 

The first guy checks him out with careful hands, noting the way Shin’s breath hitches in his chest when he presses against his ribcage. He rolls Shin onto his back and it takes everything he has not to scream. The first guy winces at something, moving Shin’s arm at the elbow to rest it on his chest. He would assume that he bones in his forearm are broken based on the pain, but more concerning is the torment in his shoulder and knee now that the pressure is gone. 

“Do we still have a stretcher?” 

“Does it look like I’m carrying one in my pocket? Most if not all of them are in use at our safehouse.” 

“Okay, geez. It’s been a long day for everyone, Mavrick. I think I can rig something up real quick. Even if we can wake him up, he’s not walking anywhere on this knee.” 

Oh, so that’s why his leg hurts. 

“Actually, I don’t have anything to use. We’ll have to carry him.” 

“Oh, yeah? And how do you propose we do that? We’d be more likely to collapse his lung that to save his life with those ribs.” 

“It’s carry him or leave him, and he’s one of the few we’ve found that’s still alive.” 

When Mavrick grabs him to pick him up, Shin decides he’s done being touched. He squirms, his entire body protesting as he pushes himself up against the rocks behind him. He levels a throwing knife against them with his good hand. 

“Whoa, fella.” Mavrick says, his tone appeasing. “We’re not going to hurt you.” 

“Come on, there’s no need for you to be moving like that.” 

Shin takes a careful breath, closing his eyes for a moment. It’s been awhile since he’s spoken to anyone, so he wonders how gravelly his voice is. “I know, but I’m not going anywhere without my Ghost.” 

“Where is it?” 

He gestures upwards with his knife. “About a hundred feet up there.” 

Mavrick sighs, rubbing his forehead. “Are you serious? You fell from all the way up there and you expect us to risk death to go get a tiny robot?” 

“Do I look like I’m kidding?” 

Mavrick approaches, looking like he’s going to attempt to take Shin against his will. He lets go of a growl, warning him not to come any closer. 

“If you don’t and try to drag me off, I swear to the Traveler I will kill you both. Good intentions be damned.” 

It takes a good chunk of time, but they eventually retrieve Archer from the ledge. The first guy – Shin really needs to figure out his name – is the one to make the climb. He drops the Ghost down into Shin’s hands per his request and then begins his careful descent. 

The trek to the safehouse is a long three hours mostly because Shin vehemently refuses to be carried for the first hour, instead opting to depend on a long stick. It’s only after he collapses out of exhaustion that he’s forced to agree to it. 

When they arrive at the safehouse, a pair of human doctors treat him and tell him to rest. One of them even handcuffs him to the makeshift bed, fully aware that he’s a Hunter and he is more liable to run off than any of her other patients even in his condition. He doesn’t know why, but he kind of likes her. Unfortunately, she forgot to check him for lockpicks. 

Lying flat on his back, he has time to think. Archer rests on his chest, trilling lightly as Shin rubs light circles onto his fins. Poor little thing doesn’t even have the strength to heal him. Archer may not get cold, but he claims to like the warmth of sitting on the Gunslinger’s chest. 

He may not be going anywhere for some time, but he has a feeling this isn’t the end. Maybe that Guardian he’s been keeping an eye on has a trick or two up his sleeve. Shin has faith in him. One of the things the current Hunter Vanguard likes to say is that when you’re out of weapons to shoot, always be sure to carry a boot-knife. 

It wouldn’t surprise him if their Hunter took those words to heart. 


End file.
